Chapter 51
Chapter 51
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Became the Gallery's Only Reptile
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-Ah, I unwittingly used a word that provoked you all. This is my mistake, so I apologize.
-L-Lord Spirit King!
"Is he usually the type to apologize so readily?"
-No way! Lord Spirit King, please lift your head! We're fine with it!
Silpi and Shirin jumped in surprise at the sight of him bowing his head deeply.
Well, even they probably never expected their king to bow his head so easily.
But more importantly, it was about what he had said earlier regarding the 'disposal' of Ceres.
-Of course. To get straight to the point...
The Wind Spirit King smiled reassuringly at Silpi's worried face.
-Our Spirit Kings have selected a representative to speak with Lady Ceres, and we've decided to make the final decision based on that representative's judgment.
-Yes. If Lady Ceres is not the evil we imagine, then there are no issues.
To be precise, it's not 'we'—it's based on 'you,' the representative.
Selecting a representative and deciding based on their judgment.
That means all the risks ahead will be determined by the Wind Spirit King's decision.
-No. We finished the discussion before you all arrived.
-Lord Spirit King. Then...
-She was a truly benevolent person. In fact, we should be the ones thanking her for taking charge of this place.
-The Master of Wind is praising me too highly.
-Haha, I'm not joking. Even we Spirit Kings couldn't act as selflessly as Lady Ceres.
That means... Ceres is safe?
The atmosphere had lightened so much that I started worrying if things could really resolve this easily.
But what could I do? The Wind Spirit King had just acknowledged her goodness with his own words.
"By the way, why did it have to be you, the Wind Spirit King, who came here? You don't look well yourself."
-Hey, watch your words...
-It's fine, Shirin.
The Wind Spirit King looked down at Cheong gazing up at him and smiled again, as if it were no issue at all.
But that smile felt oddly like one a father might give his daughter's friend.
-Since my domain is wind, I can move faster than the other Spirit Kings, so that probably played a big part.
"Ah?"
-And Silpi is here. I wanted to meet Silpi's friends too, so I strongly volunteered to be the representative.
Well, Silpi, the future Spirit King, already shows such talent that he couldn't help but take notice of those around her—us included.
'But that wound he's had since earlier... it's bugging me.'
That wound, with wind leaking out like a popped seam, was strangely irritating my nerves.
Did the Wind Spirit King notice my gaze?
He looked at me with considerable surprise and spoke.
-Lord El has sharp eyes.
-Wind spirits challenged you to a fight?
-Ah! Right! Earlier, three low-grade wind spirits gathered and attacked El!
-Such...
Was this news new to him?
Seeing the Wind Spirit King's face turn serious, he issued an order to Shirin—not with the smile he'd shown us, but as a king leading his subjects.
-Shirin. Investigate this matter thoroughly.
-Understood.
-It seems my children have caused you trouble.
I subtly emphasized that I hadn't been badly hurt in the fight, but that it had still bruised my feelings a bit. The Wind Spirit King caught on immediately and nodded lightly.
-Do you have any questions? I'll answer as best I can within my knowledge.
And so, I gained access to the Wind Spirit King's knowledge.
As someone who's been the Wind Spirit King since ancient times, his insights were on another level.
Right. For example...
-Goddesses... you say?
About the goddesses.
-...!!
Only the Wind Spirit King in front of me fully understood my words.
The others all tilted their heads, not comprehending.
"Four? Isn't there only one goddess?"
-That's what I thought too.
-Does Dad know something else?
Even in ancient times, was only Raine known as the goddess?
That would explain their reactions.
But the Wind Spirit King reacted to 'four goddesses.'
Unlike the others, he knew there were three more besides Raine.
[Wind Spirit King of the Ancient Era]
— Author: Yonggarisnaek
(Photo of the Wind Spirit King enveloped in wind)
This is the Wind Spirit King who's held his position since back when Silpi was still a low-grade spirit. Got a chance to question the current Wind Spirit King, so I'm planning to ask about the goddesses. Everyone, hold tight for a bit.
I couldn't keep this information to myself.
I posted to the gallery while waiting for the Wind Spirit King's response.
He stared blankly at me for a moment, glanced at the sky once, then looked around before nodding.
-Is that your question? We can still take it back.
-...Understood.
'Wind Barrier?'
The Wind Spirit King created a thin membrane of wind from his hand, enveloping the surroundings.
This was to prevent sound from leaking out.
-With so many ears listening, it's best not to take chances.
The ones in this space now were me, the Wind Spirit King, Ceres, Cheong, and Shirin—a total of five.
-Lord Spirit King, if it's classified information, I'll step out.
-It's fine, Shirin. I trust you.
"So, this situation means there isn't just one goddess, right?"
-Ah, probably so?
With the soundproof wind barrier fully up, those inside began to show confusion.
Well, they'd always taken it for granted that Raine was the only goddess; suddenly hearing there were four times that many would confuse anyone.
-But I don't know much detail either. So, Lord El, could you tell me what you know?
And so, I shared the information about the four goddesses I'd learned from the History Restoration Maniac.
Just that there was Raine of Light and Order, Irine of Darkness and Chaos, Kishine of Creation and Destruction, and Sahine of Time and Space.
-...You know quite a lot.
-No way. Is that really true?
"As expected of El!"
-These are names I've never heard before either.
The Wind Spirit King was impressed that my knowledge of the goddesses exceeded what he'd expected.
The other three were shocked that I knew this information and that it wasn't false.
-First, everything Lord El said is correct. There are four goddesses in the world, each governing their own concepts. That's why there are no spirits of light and darkness—their domains are overseen by higher beings, the goddesses.
-...I'm curious how you know that, but to answer: yes.
He knows?
-...Understood.
I naturally asked for that information, and after a slight hesitation, the Wind Spirit King nodded and spoke.
-Before speaking of Goddess Sahine, there's something you need to know.
-Yes. It's a place called the Dimensional Rift.
Dimensional Rift.
It was definitely a term from the PVP system update explanation in Jijiyong.
-The Dimensional Rift. Also known as the Hole of Ruin.
-Sounds like something dangerous.
"Agreed."
I made a mental note to post about the Hole of Ruin to the gallery later and refocused on the Wind Spirit King's words.
-The Dimensional Rift is a place that connects and allows passage between countless dimensions.
"Then why call it the Hole of Ruin?"
-Because crossing dimensions isn't something to take lightly. Suppose a being from another dimension comes to ours. Our dimension would bear the full brunt of the aftermath from that crossing.
"Is that a problem?"
Cheong asked back, wondering if it was that serious.
We didn't know much about dimensional aftermaths ourselves, so we quietly waited for the Wind Spirit King's answer.
-It's a massive problem. One mishandled ripple could completely distort our current ecosystem.